'Urinetown' has arrived in Greenwich

Christina Hennessy

Updated 10:48 pm, Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Members of this year's Off-Beat Players production of "Urinetown: The Musical" rehearse recently. The show will be staged at the Arch Street Teen Center, 100 Arch St., Greenwich, Conn., every night at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 8 to 11, 2012. For more information, visit www.offbeatplayers.org. Contributed photo/Nicole Annunziata
Photo: Contributed Photo

Since 2008, the troupe known as the Off-Beat Players has been delivering musical theater that recognizes children of all abilities have a role in creating a show to remember.

For the past four summers, the community has come to witness the talents of this group of teens and young adults through such productions as "Nunsense" and "Spelling Bee."

This year, the nonprofit group will put on the Tony Award-winning "Urinetown: The Musical," which ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2004, after a successful off-Broadway run.

The show is being staged at 7:30 p.m. through Aug. 11 at the Arch Street Teen Center, 100 Arch St. Tickets are $17.

The musical comedy follows the story of a town that opts to cope with a severe drought by banning private toilets. It forces the citizens to pay for public amenities, run by the Urine Good Company.

Invariably, the restrictions don't sit so well and the powers that be have a rebellion on their hands.

"What works well with the cast are the smaller, more interesting shows," said Kim Malara, the founder and director of the Greenwich-based group, as well as executive producer of "Urinetown."

She said the overarching mission of the group and the productions are to create an environment and a show "where kids are able to maximize their potential."

The theater company brings together participants with a range of abilities and disabilities. Malara developed the program a dozen years ago, but it officially became a nonprofit in 2007.

It has always been her hope that the time the participants spend together will help them to find ways to work together and support one another in a nurturing environment.

"The kids have a great time seeing the final product, but what goes on behind the scenes is equally important," Malara said.

She said she gets to see teens and young adults with and without special needs forming strong relationships in which everyone feels valued and respected.

"That's what it is all about," she said.

Greenwich resident Debbie Annunziata's daughter Danielle, 19, who has special needs, has appeared in several of the productions. Debbie Annunziata said she has been impressed by the quality of the productions.

"We love going to see it," she said. "They are really, really good."

Danielle's sister, Nicole, 16, said she can see how much her older sister enjoys the program.

"Danielle absolutely loves it. She looks forward to it," Nicole said. "It is definitely the highlight of her summer."

Nicole, who has been with the Off-Beat Players for several years, also is helping the organization this year as part of her efforts to attain a gold award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve.

"I was originally attracted to the group because of its diversity and opportunities of inclusion for kids with special needs, like my sister Danielle," she noted in a recent news release. Nicole is working on a marketing plan to attract additional community support and increase participation.

She also is compiling a guide that outlines the many tasks required for putting on a full-scale production.

This year, more than 40 teens are involved in the program as members of the cast and crew.

"It really becomes like a family," said Jim McKean, chairman of the group's board.